Here are the nominees for the 2012 Pump Industry Awards.
25 January 2012
Members' Content
The pumping of high temperature titanium tetrachloride can cause manufacturing and safety issues. So how can we ensure that manufacturing processes are safe from chemical attack? The combination of a John Crane 3740D seal and DuPont’s Vespel bearing sleeve material resulted in total success, as Vic Lundberg reports.
22 November 2011
Members' Content
Particulates in the water of a central production plant in Kansas City, USA, were causing bushings to fail after 30 months. A natural rubber-based, self-lubricating bearing material was suggested as a replacement. The outcome was a five year period without any performance problems and an estimated saving of approximately US$60,000.
04 October 2010
A Mexican gold mine required a number of products and services for the facility's process pump applications. It was important that the pumps could handle the abrasive mine water and could adapt to varying conditions. A reclaim water pumping system provided the answer and enabled water to be reused throughout the facility.
04 October 2010
A coal-fired generating station in Arizona required extensive repairs and upgrades. Chemical attack and the subsequent corrosion had to be tackled to prevent a repeat of a catastrophic failure experienced in 1999. The problem was remedied by repairing the effected systems and components and providing a coating to prevent further corrosion.
04 August 2010
The pumps in a Scottish distillery were struggling to cope with the abrasive lime used for dosing. A peristaltic hose pump was selected for its abrasion resistance and ability to ensure the smooth passage of the liquid, regardless of its viscosity. Since its installation, costs and downtime have decreased.
30 April 2010
Staff at a UK brewery had to manually empty mash waste from the equipment, costing time and energy. A pump was needed which could handle the highly viscous material at the production facility. Having approached a number of companies, a solution was provided which eliminated the labour intensive process and improved efficiency.
29 April 2010
The damaged pipe at a Swedish unloading terminal led to the creation of a special design for molten sulphur tanks. This required a 17 m long vertical pump that had to be lowered in from the top to avoid tapping the tank at the bottom. VDMA's Stephan Näckel and Per Karlsson describe this technical development.
25 February 2010
To reduce productivity losses caused by process equipment failure, a US specialty chemicals manufacturer has tried a number of monitoring technologies for its pumping systems. After installing shaft power monitors, the annual maintenance and downtime costs for three of its pumps were reduced to zero.
25 February 2010
To maintain its 24/7 schedule, a US chemical plant relies on ammonia shipped via a 14-mile-long pipeline. However, when repairs came due an alternate method of transfer was needed. The solution was a skid with a booster pump powerful enough to meet the pressure and volume demands. A Blackmer sliding vane pump fitted the bill.
25 February 2010